Afaq Ahmed ( ur, ; born March 22, 1962) is a Pakistani politician who is the founder and leader of

Muhajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) The Mohajir Qaumi Movement Pakistan ( ur, ) formerly known as Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi), MQM-Haqiqi is a political party claiming to represent the Mohajir in Sindh, Pakistan whose leader is Afaq Ahmed. History The Movement was originall ...

(MQM-H), a break-away faction of the much larger than

Muhajir Qaumi Movement Muhajir or Mohajir ( ar, مهاجر, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer ...

which later became

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement (abbreviated MQM) is a name currently claimed by two competing Pakistani political factions: * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, a political faction managed from the UK * Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan Mutta ...

(MQM).

Life and career

Born to a

Muhajir Muhajir or Mohajir ( ar, مهاجر, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer ...

family in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

, Ahmed graduated from

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (whic ...

. While still a student, he joined the All Pakistan Muttahidda Students Organization (APMSO) led by Altaf Hussain. Later, when the APMSO became a political party under the leadership of Hussain, Ahmed served as the party's joint secretary. However, in 1992, owing to some ideological differences with Altaf Hussain, Ahmed left the MQM and announced the creation of his own party named Mohajir Qaumi Movement - Haqiqi. Ahmed had to face serious consequences for this open rivalry with Altaf Hussain. His house was set on fire in the early 2010s and many of his supporters including some of his close relatives were murdered. He contested

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Wednesday, 25 July 2018 to elect the members of 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

from constituency NA-240 (Korangi Karachi-II) as a candidate of MQM-H but didn't succeed in winning and received 14,376 votes only.

Resignation from MQM-Haqiqi's chairmanship

Afaq Ahmed resigned from his leadership post in response to the election results which he claims were rigged. Speaking at a press conference at his house in Defence Housing Authority, Ahmed said, “We have failed to counter the conspiracies” and he advised the workers to choose a better leader. He later withdrawn his decision after few days.

Controversy

Imprisonment

An operation was launched against Mohajir Qaumi Movement in 2002 after they secured a seat of National Assembly from Landhi constituency. Even Altaf Hussain felt the fear that with the rise of Afaq Ahmed, his politics might fail. Afaq Ahmed was arrested in 2004 following the rise to power of the rival MQM in Sindh. Several allegations and cases were charged on him which later proved to be false. In late September 2011, the

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...

finally granted Ahmed bail seven years after his arrest. The Sindh government refused to grant his release, citing concerns over the maintenance of law and order. On December 16, 2011, the Sindh High Court declared Ahmed's imprisonment under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) illegal and ordered him to be set free.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Afaq 1962 births Living people Muhajir people Muttahida Qaumi Movement politicians Politicians from Karachi Pakistani prisoners and detainees University of Karachi alumni